We see lots of ideas float around in Safety, many are just ‘thought bubbles’ with little consideration of design (affordances), human nature or by-products. Many of these ideas are packaged in semiotic strategies by well-meaning people with no expertise in semiotics. Then when things drive the … [Read more...] about What’s the Safety Idea, What’s the By-Product?
by-products
New Year Safety Trade-Offs and By-Products
New Year Safety Trade-Offs and By-Products Hassan Vally introduces us to the concept of ‘microlives’ (http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e8223) which attempts to measure the life value of directions taken in life. For example: every hour of TV on the couch adds up to 15 minutes off your life … [Read more...] about New Year Safety Trade-Offs and By-Products
Could Understanding Grey Be The Silver Bullet
Could understanding Grey, be the ‘silver bullet’? Since I started writing on Safetyrisk.net in November 2013, I’ve received lots of great feedback thoughts, questions and even criticisms about my posts which I appreciate. A key theme of the feedback that I receive is that some of the concepts … [Read more...] about Could Understanding Grey Be The Silver Bullet
The Covid-19 Lesson
I wonder what you have learned during Covid-19? Many people are talking about what they have ‘learned’ under Covid and that’s great. It’s good to hear people talk about appreciation of others, realisations about isolation, struggles with sameness, boredom and challenges in resilience. It’s … [Read more...] about The Covid-19 Lesson
The Mossie Coil and Safety
The Mossie Coil and Safety The concept of by-products and trade-offs ought to be mandatory in any safety training. The naïve idea that policy decisions and safety decisions are neutral is nonsense. As humans live as social beings there can be no decision in risk that is made without implications, … [Read more...] about The Mossie Coil and Safety
Safety Gone Mad
Safety Gone Mad This is what happens when people have too much power and authority, no idea about discerning risk or any concept of the by-products of just banning things for ‘safety reasons’. See Rob Longs recent article: The Safety Worldview. This is going straight to our HOT TOASTER PAGE As if … [Read more...] about Safety Gone Mad
Let’s Get The Dirt On Root Cause Analysis
Let’s Get The Dirt On Root Cause Analysis It has been said that our seduction with the notion of root cause analysis has done more damage to safety and risk that anything else - there is likely never going to be a definitive root cause for anything - and how far back do we go - do we just keep … [Read more...] about Let’s Get The Dirt On Root Cause Analysis
Was New York Shut Down by Safety Spuds?
Was New York Shut Down by Safety Spuds? How’s the discourse, by-products and trade-offs! On 26th January 2015, The US National Weather Service (NWS) predicted that a "potentially historic blizzard", possibly “the worst ever”, would strike the north eastern states. New York reacted by … [Read more...] about Was New York Shut Down by Safety Spuds?
